How to understand your dog?

What a pity that dogs can’t talk! Or can they? Simply, their “language” consists not of words familiar to us, but of signs. These signs can tell us about the dog’s feelings, its attitude to what is happening, to others, and, of course, to ourselves. Want to learn to interpret them? We will help you! 10 popular emotions of dogs – in our article.
Wagging tail.
Let’s start with the most recognizable sign! It is considered that if a dog wags its tail, it means that it has a great mood. But in practice there are nuances. But if the whole body is wagging along with the tail from the shoulder blades to the toes, then the dog is really glad! But if the tail is raised, only the tip of the dog is tense and wagging, and the body of the dog is frozen and the mouth is tightly closed – watch out! This means that the dog is very tense, she does not like something, and throwing her arms around her is a bad decision. Here you can draw an analogy with cats. Remember, they wag their tails of discontent? Contrary to stereotypes, so do dogs.
Slightly parted mouth, relaxed face.
Smile! Yes, yes, try to smile and pay attention to the position of your lower jaw. During a smile, it falls slightly, and the upper and lower teeth are no longer in contact with each other. The same thing happens with dogs! If the pet is satisfied, relaxed and happy, its mouth is slightly open and completely relaxed. You can consider this as the analogue of a human smile!
How to better understand your dog?
Tightly closed mouth and fading body.
If the open mouth is a smile, then tightly closed, on the contrary, speaks of tension and alertness. And if the dog also froze in one pose, then it is a signal: be careful! Perhaps the pet is going to sort out the relationship with the approaching relative or he does not like that person with a huge backpack. The task of the owner: to defuse the situation, to divert the attention of the dog with something pleasant. To beat her behind the ear in such a situation is a bad idea, and the “Play” team in combination with your favorite toy will even help you a lot!
Flickering language.
Cynologists call movement a flicker, a blink or a flash of tongue, when the tongue is quickly pulled forward and just as quickly returns to the mouth. Thus, the dog shows a slight anxiety and demonstrates recognition of the superiority of the partner. “Flickering” languages ​​can be seen on the playground, when several dogs meet each other and build relationships with each other. Many dogs “flash” tongues in front of the owners. If your pet does this, rest assured that you are the undisputed leader for him.
Yawning.
Like us, dogs can yawn due to fatigue or lack of oxygen in the room, but not only so. Yawning in dogs is also the language of intraspecific communication. The Norwegian dog handler Tyurid Rugos calls him “a signal of reconciliation.” It is believed that animals express their location with a yawn and relieve tension from their relatives. For example, dogs can exchange yawns in a queue with a veterinarian: they seem to be encouraging each other.
Round eyes and retracted corners of the mouth.
Imagine a situation: the dog’s eyes were round, the mouth was tightly closed, the corners of the mouth were retracted, the teeth were exposed, and a growl might be heard. Anyone understands: do not expect good. But these signs do not mean aggression, as you might think at first. They mean only one thing: fear. Of course, if necessary, the dog can go on the attack. But in this situation, she needs protection.
Whale eye.
Another interesting sign that can tell a lot about the feelings of the dog at a particular moment. Imagine that the direction of the muzzle and the look of the dog are separated. Pet seek to turn away the face of the irritant, but it continues to look at him. The pupil is shifted to one side of the outer corner of the eye, and the protein is seen predominantly from the side. This is the whale eye. It often manifests in dogs when they are squeezed by children! As you may have guessed, pets do not like such actions. They would be happy to turn away, but in fear of losing control over the situation, they continue to watch their “tormentor”.
The dog turns away.
And since we have already mentioned the turning of the head, we will continue the topic. If the dog turns its head away from you, it means that at the moment it does not want to communicate with you. And it doesn’t matter that she sits still and does not move (praise her for good manners). In the same way, it can react to other people, animals and objects with which for some reason does not want to contact.
How to understand a dog?
Talking eyebrows.
Eyebrow movement is also a manifestation of emotion. In this, dogs are like us (well, or we are like them). For example, raised eyebrows talk about anxiety, concern. So the dog is watching you when you collect a suitcase for the upcoming trip. And shifted and lowered eyebrows talk about tension, discontent, rejection of the situation. Remember, and in a tense situation, we often wrinkle our eyebrows.